100 Days of Gratitude

Despite some business setbacks from the Catastrophe, I've been in an unusually good frame of mind for the last 100 days, and, all the media hype notwithstanding, the Pause & Reflect moment for this president is more of a Pause & Savor for BobOnARoll.  I don't recall feeling this way after Clinton's 100th, or Carter's---the only other Democrats in my adult political experience.  Johnson's first 100 were shrouded in the darkness after Kennedy, and, well, we know that there could not have been a more catastrophic first 100 than JFK's.

I don't think I have all that much to add to the cacophony of praise and critique we'll be hearing this week.  One pattern I have noticed, however, which manifested during the campaign against Hillary, and then again during the first 20-30 days, and, finally, just recently with the CIA torture disclosures, is that this team is somewhat easily thrown off its game plan by surprises and is not quick to recover.  Perhaps this is just inexperience, but I don't see the political sure-footedness in Obama when he is in response and reaction mode as opposed to initiative mode. Luckily, the initiatives have been down-the-line everything I would have hoped for.   

The Obamites are coming around to doing the right thing on the torture issue---in whatever forum or manner seems appropriate, we must have an investigation and let those proverbial chips fall.  Aside from the slower than expected ramp up on economic stuff during the first weeks of his term, I continue to be impressed, amazed, and grateful that we have the right man at the right time in the right place.  On toward Day 200 and beyond....